Worlds Better
by mrscarstairs
Summary: Tessa wakes from a nightmare, and is astounded by Jem's attempts to lull her back to sleep. Post-CP2.


**A/N: Hey there! So, for those of you waiting on an update for Shadow Self, I am working on it now and should have chapter 3 up soon. But this came into my head, and I just had to write it, and since Jessa is my OTP, how could I resist? Takes place after the epilogue of Clockwork Princess, so be warned for spoilers!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! All rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

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Tessa awoke with a start, a scream lodged in her throat. She swallowed it back before it could escape, and glanced down to find that her hand was clutching at her heart, her fingers bunched tightly in the material of her night shirt. A few rapid blinks assured her that it was still the middle of the night, and whatever she had just experienced had been nothing more than a bad dream. She could not even recall what had happened, only that it had terrified her to the point of sweating profusely, and Tessa couldn't help but scrunch up her nose in disgust at the wet stain outlining the collar of her shirt.

Slowly, she glanced about the area of her and Jem's hotel room in Paris, the moon's light shining beautifully through the large window where it hung full in the starlit sky. It was cool, a small breeze causing the curtains to lift and rustle in the air. _Perhaps I should close the window,_ Tessa thought, _before it becomes too cold._

Tessa tilted her head slightly to her left to look at Jem, whose sleeping form was peaceful and content next to her. His face was turned away from her, and he was laying on his stomach, allowing Tessa to gaze wonderingly at the cords of muscle in his bare back, the silver rune scars etched like a lacework of poetic lines. His hair, now black as ink, was disheveled from the night's sleep, and when Tessa leaned in just close enough, she could make out the small, adorable noises he was making in such a deep slumber.

Tessa allowed herself to trace her fingers lightly along his back, following the lines of the faded runes as if she hadn't already committed them to memory. With one last glance at him, she swung her legs off the side of the bed and dangled them there for a moment, thinking wistfully about when they had boarded a plane to France a few days ago, and how panicked Jem had been, though he had tried not to show it. He had never been on a plane before, and as he put it, "Giant pieces of metal were never created to fly through the sky, Tess. I don't trust this thing. I would feel much more comfortable in a car."

"We're in New York, Jem," Tessa had reminded him gently, suppressing a laugh. "Despite the advancements of modern technology, cars have yet to add a feature that allows them to travel across water. Plus, cars actually have more crashes than planes do, and—"

Jem had interrupted her, his face paling markedly. "We could always hitch a boat. I've been on one of those before, and they don't sink very often." He nodded resolutely and spun on heels, his gaze set straightforward so as not to catch Tessa's eyes. He had marched away from her, making his way determinedly through the crowd bustling around the airport, and Tessa had been forced to yank his sleeve and drag him back to the terminal. He hadn't struggled, but his face spoke volumes, and Tessa knew the trip would be little less than a nightmare for him.

"If you don't ride a plane now, then you never will. Embrace that Shadowhunter strength and brave it, all right?"

Jem had sighed, but conceded, and Tessa giggled at the memory of his hands, white as chalk, gripping the armrests of the seat as the plane had gone through its bouts of turbulence. "Are you sure the plane is supposed to shake like that?" he had asked, his voice trembling slightly. "Tessa, if we crash and die, I just want you to know that I love you. If we crash and live, I will never go along with any of your plans ever again. I'm sorry, but I am not changing my mind on that."

Tessa grinned as she strode to the window of the hotel room, tugging on the curtains and reaching to close the window latch at the same time. Her hands lingered on the silky drapes, her mind ghosting back to their meeting on Blackfriar's Bridge a few months ago, and how changed they had both been since the last time they had been together as normal people. She did not regret her decision, though she was able to tell already that losing him would be just as painful as Will.

"Tessa? Why are you awake?"

Tessa's head snapped up, and she spun to meet Jem's dark eyes, the flecks of gold glinting in the minimal moonlight still peeking through the curtains. He lifted a hand to rub at them, and Tessa couldn't help but smile fondly at how young he looked, his hair all sleep-mussed and his voice raw and husky. She took another second to marvel at him before whispering, "No reason. I just had a bad dream, and now I can't go back to sleep."

"Do you need something?" Jem was suddenly alert, the concern in his gaze only serving to fill Tessa with even more love for him, if that was even possible. "I don't have anything to make a tisane, but I know that a cold washcloth could help, or…" He trailed off, scratching his head. "There's something else too, but I am so tired I can hardly remember."

Window and curtains forgotten, Tessa sauntered back to the bed, sliding under the covers and resting her head on Jem's shoulder. She placed her hand over his heart, where it beat steadily under her fingertips. _It used to flutter so fast, like a bird's,_ she mused. "I don't need anything of the sort," she assured him. "There's so use in making you go through all of that trouble."

Jem's own fingers weaved through the tresses of her hair, and she shivered involuntarily. "It's no trouble at all." He was thoughtful for a moment, and then he announced, "I could try telling you a bedtime story. Those usually help people fall asleep, do they not?"

Tessa chuckled and gazed up at her love to find his eyes on her. She brushed some of his hair from his face and said, "You know a bedtime story?"

"Well, no, but I could easily make one up."

Tessa beamed and buried her head in the crook of his neck, listening absently to the pulse in his throat. "All right then, go ahead."

Jem took a deep breath, and Tessa felt his left hand playing with the hem of her shirt as he launched into one of the worst narratives she had ever heard. "Once upon a time—that's how these things usually start, right?—there was a boy who, uh, went somewhere and, uh, he did some things that were relative to the plot…"

Tessa bit back a laugh and said through her teeth, "Does that even count as a story?"

Jem held up a hand to stop her and half-shouted, "Wait, the plot's about to really thicken right here, because now the boy's father comes into the story and—"

Tessa bust out laughing at that, and she heard Jem's follow shortly after, their laughter creating the most beautiful music in the darkness of the night. "All right, so perhaps my creativity is a tad dry," Jem admitted, a smile gracing his features. "I realize now that I only aided in making it more difficult for you to fall asleep."

"No, please, continue," Tessa urged him, brushing her lips along his collarbone. "It's a truly riveting story. I'm hooked, and I couldn't possibly sleep without finding out the ending."

"There wasn't even a beginning."

Tessa smiled against his skin and brought her mouth up to whisper in his ear, "How about I help you? Let's say the boy met up with a long-lost love of his on a very special place that they had undoubtedly claimed as their own, and…" she lifted her eyebrows to let him know that he could add on.

Jem caught on to her hints and smirked, lifting himself up and dropping his lips to her neck. He muttered against her skin, "And the boy was surprised to discover that the girl still loved him after all their time apart, when he was so sure that she would have lost her feelings in the past."

"But in fact, the girl had never stopped." Tessa kissed just below his ear and smiled triumphantly when she felt him tense. "She loved him for everything that made him who he was, from his musical ability of zhi yin to how his goodness overshadowed all his perfect flaws. He was her home now."

Jem kissed along her neck and up to her cheek, and Tessa knew for certain then that she was no longer shaking from the cold. His lips gracefully drifted along her skin until he was only centimeters from her mouth. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of his breath as he said softly, "The girl was his guide for over a century, and through the glass of the silence that had surrounded him for so long, he could still remember her words to him a hundred years earlier, saying, _'There will be another time, when you are well and everything is perfect.'_"

Tessa crashed her lips against his, immediately sighing into his mouth. His left hand, which was still gripping the bottom of her shirt, played shyly with the cotton and Tessa helped him remove it, their bare skin colliding all at once and causing them both to gasp. Their foreheads met and Tessa glided her hands along his shoulders and down his bare chest, quivering with excitement as Jem's hands explored her body, his violinist fingers expertly dancing across her skin. She could hear every unspoken word as he touched her: _You are my favorite instrument. Your voice is my most treasured melody. I will love you in every life, Tessa._

Tessa listened to the sound of the crickets outside their window as she lay peacefully in Jem's arms, their legs tangled together with the sheets.

"Was that better than my story?" he asked, his tone amused.

Tessa laughed freely and kissed him, her heart racing all over again at the feeling of his lips on hers. No matter what future lay ahead for the two of them, she was forever willing to face it down with him by her side, and she wouldn't let go of his hand, not even when it was their turn to say goodbye. Instead, she would utter a small, _"Mizpah,"_ to let him know that they would see each other again, for when two people are at one in their inmost hearts, they shatter even the strength of iron or bronze.

But for now, she simply said, "Worlds better."

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**A/N: As always, reviews are wonderful, and I apologize for all the fluffiness. But Tessa and Jem are such a fluffy couple that it had to be done. Hope you enjoyed!**

**Oh, and a few little things that I didn't mention in the story. In my head, Magnus (because in my headcanon he survives the war) meets up with them in London and portals them to New York so Tessa can show him her old city. But when Tessa wants to take him out to see the world, she wants to use as little "magic" as possible, so she doesn't want to use portals anymore. So that's why Jem is suggesting mortal things such as cars and boats. Hope that makes sense!**

**Again, reviews are lovely! See ya around!**


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